Fruitless... (digital)

Fruitless... is a tale of failure, growth, and the limits of dreams... (read on for story info, details on the unique format, and samples of the text) 

For my first release in 6 years (and first full-length book), I wanted to try something unique. This one of a kind project is part illustrated poetic fable, part song lyrics to an accompanying album of music.

The two can be enjoyed separately or together to get the full depth of the reading/listening experience.

Purchase includes

• 15 tracks of music (.mp3 and .wav)
• 276-page book of poetry and illustrations (.pdf)
• Album art (.pdf)‍

The story

A mask maker accepts that he will never earn an invite to the famed garden of immortals and begins creating for himself... But when the garden takes notice, he finds himself with one more opportunity to fulfill his fantasies...

The book

Includes a 90-page poetic story, illustrated by Tanate Asami, that weaves together the lyrics of the album into a sweeping narrative. It's a big collection (276 pages!) but breaks up nicely into 3 parts.

The music

Lush, complex, and ambitious in its scope, the 1+ hour of music is produced by trip hop musician Ogi Feel the Beat and performed by the poet to capture the rich rhythms of the text. (Some people have said how much reading along with the music has given them a deeper appreciation of both.)

To listen to the album of music on its own, you can find it on all streaming platforms

About the author

Daniel is a rhyming poet, hip hop artist, comics writer, and director of ambitious independent multimedia projects. His work typically tells stories and features dense rhyme schemes. After a 6-year run of consecutive projects, he took 6 years off from releasing anything to the public. His newest release is a return to form—a 276-page book that tells a fable through an illustrated poem and lyrics to an hour-long album of music.

Credits

Written by Daniel Johnson
Produced by Oleg Brnic (aka Ogi Feel the Beat)
Illustrated by Tanate Asami
Album cover by Kyle Pherson
Vocals by Daniel Johnson
Mixing and mastering by Daniel Johnson
Book design by Daniel Johnson‍

ISBN: 978-0-9984468-2-0

Album and book originally released December 1, 2023